District students to compete in ‘Tsunami Bowl’

WASILLA — Teams from Mat-Su Career and Technical High School and Wasilla High School will compete in the Tsunami Bowl at 8 a.m., Feb. 8 and at 2 p.m., Feb. 10 at Seward High School.

Teams of four or five students will compete in the Tsunami Bowl, an annual regional ocean science competition. Teams are tested through quick-answer buzzer questions and thought-provoking team challenge questions. Also included in the weekend events are oral presentations of each team’s research project on the topic of “Estuarine Systems and the Importance of Freshwater in Marine Science.”

For those more artistically inclined, a marine-themed art show with art produced by students from participating schools will be unveiled the evening of Feb. 8 and remain on display for the month of February in the lobby of the Alaska SeaLife Center.

The winning team will compete against 24 other regional champions in the 16th annual National Ocean Sciences Bowl at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee on April 18-21.

The Tsunami Bowl is part of the National Ocean Sciences Bowl (NOSB), which is a program of the Consortium for Ocean Leadership based in Washington, D.C. Through this educational forum, the NOSB strives to encourage and support the next generation of marine scientists, policy makers, teachers, explorers, researchers, technicians, environmental advocates and informed citizens to be stewards of the ocean.

Many past NOSB participants have moved on to pursue college degrees and careers in ocean science. In 2013, about 2,000 students from more than 300 high schools will participate. For more information, visit nosb.org.